Report on Maine Career Exploration Program Features Extended Learning Opportunities Student Stories

Since its launch in the fall of 2022, the Maine Career Exploration Program (MCEP) has connected more than 6,000 participants with paid work experiences. With funding from the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, this program offers opportunities for Maine’s youth, ages 16-24.

To learn more about the MCEP and Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) in Maine, check out the Maine Career Exploration Program Final Evaluation Report.

These are a couple of student highlights from the report.

Ryan | From feeling uncertain and worried to confident and clear

Oceanside High School, Knox County – Work Experience Placement: Blake Vets

When the principal offered Ryan, then a rising senior at Oceanside High School, the choice of a fourth-period study hall or an internship class, Ryan picked the class.

“I asked him about it,” Ryan recalled, “And he told me a little bit about it, and I was like, ‘I want to do this. This sounds really cool.’ I was worried, because it was my senior year, and I had no idea what I was going to do.”

Now, he knows.

The class led Ryan to Blake Vets in Northport, where he found that his natural affinity for animals was a key asset.

“I have a big connection to animals,” he explained. “I always have. I love all types of animals. I just feel like a strength that I brought is my compassion and care when it comes to pets and people, as well. People are very happy seeing their pets warm up to me.”

Ryan’s love of pets also created challenges. It made him care — a lot — about doing things right during his internship at the practice. That created pressure when things went wrong.

“A skill that I learned was how to manage high-stress scenarios,” Ryan said when explaining why one picture he took showed a dog upside down on a table. The dog in the photo had woken up before surgery began and had to be anesthetized again. “There are so many things that can go wrong during the preparation for surgery.”

Ryan recalled when he witnessed a pet reacting with fear during a necessary procedure.

“I had to remind myself that this is helping the animal, even if they’re scared and they’re angry. Reminding myself, and the people that were around me, helped me get through this.”

The professionals at the practice encouraged him, as he learned about the realities of healing pets.

“Having a doctor who has been a veterinarian for years and years tell you that she sees that you can also become one — it meant a lot to me,” he said.

Ryan has been accepted into the University of Maine at Augusta veterinary technician program. The vets he interned with assured him that, if he applies for a job after he graduates, they’ll give him preferential consideration. He has also lined up work for the summer at an animal shelter.

“With the internship and with Molly [my ELO Coordinator] and with all the connections that I’ve made, it has just further cemented the fact that I want to be this, even after seeing the good and the bad,” Ryan said.

His confidence blossomed, too. When asked to identify the most important lesson he took from his ELO placement, Ryan replied, “How to speak for myself.”

He explained that before this experience, “I was just kind of like, ‘I’m fine. I’m doing good. I’m okay with everything,’ even if I wasn’t entirely sure I was. I’m a lot more independent, and I say what I want and how I feel a lot more now.”

Ryan added: “There are so many things that I also want to talk about on top of this – like how I’ve truly opened up and become a more social person during this period of this year. At the beginning of the year, I was very reserved. I didn’t say much about me; I didn’t talk that much. I’ve really started to open up and show who I am as a person, and those are a couple things that I’ve just learned throughout the year.”

The internship and the class, he said, helped him find his way.

“When it comes to normal classes, it’s like, you learn something, you remember it, you do a test on it. It’s just a linear path,” Ryan said. “When it comes to ELO, it’s like, some days … if you’re not feeling it, you don’t have to do something, and if you want and you’re willing to, you can grow so much in the span of just a little bit.”

Ryan also explained: “You have to put in energy to get as much out of this as you want to. This ELO and everything, it’s a lot more oriented toward you, and the path of growth is dependent on what you decide it to be.”

“Something that I connected with and that helped me, like a resource, was just seeing the help that … these people have done to animals like this. This is a rescue cat that was found on the side of the road with a broken leg. They give her all the support and love that she needed, and she’s very happy right now. This is her reaching — I was rubbing her as much as I could through the bars. This is me starting to walk away and she tries to get more. Just seeing how lives are impacted, not just animals but people’s lives … with this really helped.” – Ryan

“This is Dr. McGill, one of the doctors who was at Blake Vets for the four or five times that I visited. She and I really connected. She told me that I have the skill that I was born with, like, to connect with animals. … She supported me as soon as she met me. She was excited to hear all about me, what I planned to do, what I wanted to do there. She listened to that, and she gave me help in doing what I wanted to do.” – Ryan

Natalie | A river of connection, communication, and growth

Yarmouth High School, Cumberland County – Work Experience Placements: Wabanaki First Nations, Royal River Conservation Trust

“The reason you start your ELO does not define your ELO,” noted Natalie. “I started this for fun to learn a language because I was bored with the Romance languages in school. Then it turned into something so much more.”

Natalie’s first ELO placement led to a river of experiences that connected the Yarmouth High School student with her heritage, transformed her into a passionate communicator, and introduced her to a bevy of community organizations that welcomed her into their work.

“I’m more naturally quiet, so it’s kind of weird to be, like, this leader, this big public figure that apparently people like to consider me now,” she said.

Recently selected by the Portland Press Herald as one of the top ten graduates to watch in the state of Maine, Natalie has been accepted at Dartmouth College.

“I know, realistically, I probably wouldn’t have gotten in without all of the stuff I’ve done, but also … It shifted my life goals,” she said of the ELO program.

“I’m a Maliseet Native American from Tobique First Nation, but I’ve lived here my whole life,” Natalie explained. “I started my ELO as a thing investigating my language and my culture with Imelda Perley, who is my mentor. … She’s an amazing person. She basically started the whole language conservation program at the University of New Brunswick [and is] just a really inspiring person.”

Perley, a Maliseet elder, met with Natalie every week.

“Having that personal connection to so many people on the reservation up in New Brunswick and having the opportunity to meet with Perley every single week is something I wouldn’t have gotten to do if I was a different person,” Natalie said. “My grandmother grew up on the reservation, but none of the rest of my family really did. Since she went to residential school, she didn’t want her oldest children to have to go to it as well, so she moved to New York. So, it’s not something that my part of the family has been really connected to in a while.”

Impressed with Natalie’s work, her ELO Coordinator talked about her during a meeting of an equity task force that included some members from YCARE, the Yarmouth Community Alliance for Racial Equity. Some of its members attended Natalie’s ELO presentation and invited her and her parents to join them. The meetings were held at the headquarters of the Royal River Conservation Trust, which eventually offered Natalie a paid internship, her second ELO.

While her first ELO connected Natalie with her Native American heritage and extended members of her own family, her second taught her how to share that indigenous knowledge and history back out, leading hikes along the Royal River with new mentors the trust introduced her to — experts in ethnobotany — and working with kids and nature.

“Luckily, it’s a situation where everyone is interested in learning,” Natalie said of the hikes she and her mentors led. “It’s not like they’re forced to be there. So, it was a very welcoming community, but it was still talking in front of people that I didn’t know, or at least, didn’t know very well. [It was] pretty much unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It was definitely a learning curve.”

Natalie already was working on one Royal River project through YCARE. That group’s effort to formally give a Penobscot name to what is locally called First Falls brought Natalie’s linguistic knowledge into play and taught her some hard lessons about bureaucracy. Although the waterfall didn’t have a legal name, applying one required buy-in from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Penobscot Nation, and the town, and the project raised historical language issues that led Natalie to seek guidance from Perley.

“The fact that simple things can be such a pain anyway — even if they don’t necessarily need to be, they find a way to be,” Natalie said with a smile. “I guess messing with bureaucracy is something I’ve had to do. That’s more of a challenge than a skill at this point. [I’m] still working on that.”

Through her work with the Royal River Conservation Trust, Natalie learned of the Royal River Alliance and got involved with its dam removal effort. She spoke about their progress at the alliance’s World Fish Migration Day at Royal River Park in May. Other activities have included being on a panel for Youth and Climate Action and participating in monthly Wabanaki youth group meetings in Freeport.

Natalie said that her Native American heritage was the most important thing she brought to the ELO program. It provided unique opportunities for growth and connection that, in turn, fostered a desire to share what she was learning.

“Having that inspiration and that history I guess makes me much more passionate about the project and the kind of stuff that I’m doing. … I think it gives me more interest in doing it than a lot of other people — more reason to, more motivation.”

Her heritage also influenced how she learned.

“I’d say I used a couple of random Google searches and a couple of books that were my grandmother’s or that people have recommended to me, but for the most part it has just been talking with people,” Natalie explained. “We have a very strong oral tradition in general, so those are kind of the biggest ways in which I’ve actually learned anything.”

When asked whether her ELO experiences have affected her future path, Natalie said, “I think this is probably the most influential thing I’ve ever done. … I would say it’s hard for me to picture what my life would be like right now if I hadn’t done it because it has been so integral to what I’ve been doing. It has changed both what I’ve been able to do in the future and what I want to do in the future because linguistics and Native American stuff is so much more important than I expected it to be. … It’s something that I really want to make a part of my future no matter what I end up doing.”

“The majority of these are from some hikes I’ve led with the Royal River Conservation Trust, which is where I’m doing my internship… It’s definitely something that I would say I’ve gotten a lot better at. I think part of that is just practice but also being in an environment like this where people want to be there and want to hear what I have to say.” – Natalie

“I guess they represent something more important than just pictures. … I’m not doing it for credit. I’m doing it because it’s something that needs to be done, and it’s something that’s important. It’s actually making an impact on the world, not just on me but on the community. These pictures are just representative of the ways this has helped me help other people, and I think that’s something that’s just really important, especially nowadays.” – Natalie

To learn more about the Maine Career Exploration Program, please reach out to Karen Morin at karen.morin@maine.gov. For more information about Extended Learning Opportunities, please reach out to Lana Sawyer at lana.sawyer@maine.gov.

Registration Open for New England Youth Identity Summit to Help Develop Student Civic Engagement

Registration is now open for the ninth annual New England Youth Identity Summit, which will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, on the campus of Waynflete School in Portland. This event is free to attend, with lunch included for high school students from Maine and across New England who register in advance. This full-day program will feature inspiring speakers, student-led workshops, and performances designed to foster relationships within and across communities.

With support from Educate Maine, the Summit will include an educator track with morning and afternoon workshops for educators who come with their students. Led by teachers for teachers, these workshops will explore how to develop and support cultures of civil dialogue and civic engagement in schools and communities.

Transportation for Students

Thanks to program support from M&T Bank, a limited number of transportation grants will be provided to schools in need. You may use this link to apply.

Registration Information

To register for the New England Youth Identity Summit, please visit the Summit website. For further questions, please reach out to summit@waynflete.org.

Maine DOE Launches Innovative Mobile Learning Van, Bringing Peer-to-Peer Learning Opportunities Statewide

With the help of federal grant funds and some crafty educators and students in RSU 19, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is proud to present the Maine DOE Mobile Learning Van, designed to bring new and innovative peer-to-peer learning opportunities to schools and their communities across the state.

The vision for this van came out of the Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) initiative, funded by the Education Stabilization Fund through the U.S. Department of Education’s Rethink K-12 Education Models grant. The grant’s purpose was to bolster Maine educators’ innovative efforts to support their students with agile, effective, and resilient learning experiences that improve learning outcomes for all students.

With large-scale, ongoing professional learning an important component of the RREV grant, the Maine DOE introduced the idea of using a mobile unit, rather than hosting conferences and events. This unit would travel throughout the state, supporting schools and educators—especially those that experience travel and financial barriers, which can prevent access to high-quality professional learning. Additionally, this field-based, peer-to-peer learning would create opportunities for educators statewide to connect with one another.

Initially, that mobile unit—a van—arrived as an empty Ford Transit van that didn’t look much like a mobile learning office. In the true spirit of innovation—and a strong belief in public education—the Maine DOE partnered with RSU 19 to tackle the challenge of turning this vision into a reality.

RSU 19’s Director of Technology Integration Kern Kelley headed that project alongside the Maine DOE’s Office of Innovation. Kelley is an award-winning educator, passionate about authentic learning and student-led projects. He has a reputation for preparing his students for a strong post-graduation future by providing them with opportunities in school to learn about 3-D design, computer programming, robotics, and other advanced technological skills.

Kelley got to work on this van with his Nokomis High School students, who were divided into two teams. One group of student builders worked on the van’s interior build-out, installing equipment like laptops, iPads, and Chromebooks (in line with the Maine Learning Technology Initiative), as well as cameras, microphones, an audio/video mixing device, a drone, a satellite link, two monitors for presentation in or behind the van, an internal interviewing station, a ramp for accessibility, and a tent and bag chairs for small outdoor presentation possibilities.

A second group of students—a documentary team—captured the van’s transformation through a website, YouTube videos, and interviews.

Using their creativity, inventive thinking, and construction skills, these students created the final product—the Maine DOE Mobile Learning Van, affectionately known as the “Marty Mobile”, named after the original RREV Director who died suddenly in April of 2022.

Once the van was nearly complete in the spring of 2024, the Maine DOE’s RREV team traveled to 25 of the participating RREV schools to celebrate the learning that had been made possible because of RREV award funding and the educators committed to making those innovative opportunities a reality. Video footage and audio interviews from those trips are posted on the RREV webpage.

After the spring RREV tours, the RREV team returned the van to RSU 19 for a final transformation over the summer. By the start of the 2024-2025 school year, most of the finishing touches—including equipment and technology—were in place.

Since then, the Maine DOE has conducted some test outings with the van during a few RREV Learning Tours (in MSAD 28, St. George Municipal School Unit, Wayfinder Schools, MSAD 59, and the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences), as well as a SLAM (Student Leadership Ambassadors of Maine) showcase in MSAD 60.

On March 12, 2025, the van visited the Maine School Safety and Transportation Conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. At the event, Kelley and his students accompanied members of the Maine DOE’s Office of Innovation to showcase how the van could be used to conduct interviews and capture footage from the field.

You can see the video they created here.

Keep an eye out for upcoming Maine DOE Mobile Learning Van stops, scheduled at locations across the state! Up next: In Aroostook County, the van will stop at Limestone Community School for a Learning Tour. Then, it will be at Fort Kent Middle School for the SLAM Showcase.

You can stay up to date on future professional learning and collaboration opportunities by checking out the Maine DOE Newsroom and Event Calendar.

Nominations Open for Curriculum Leader of the Year and Instructional Coach of the Year

The Maine Curriculum Leaders Association (MCLA) has announced that nominations are now open for the Curriculum Leader of the Year (CLOY) and the Instructional Coach of the Year (ICOY). Nominations close on Monday, April 28, 2025.

To nominate for Curriculum Leader of the Year, please send a nomination letter describing how the nominee is a champion of learning both in and outside of their school administrative unit (SAU). (Please see criteria number three on the MCLA website linked below.) You may email your nomination letter to the Curriculum Leader of the Year selection committee at director@mainecla.org. Please provide details about how the nominee’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment leadership impacts teachers and students in their SAU, as well as the nominee’s leadership activities outside of their SAU.

To nominate for Instructional Coach of the Year, please send a nomination letter describing how the nominee is a highly-effective, student-centered instructional coach to the Instructional Coach of the Year selection committee at director@mainecla.org. Please provide details about the structure and organization of the nominee’s coaching program/practice and how it impacts student learning and the school/SAU culture and community.

Nomination letters for both awards should be sent as a PDF or Google document; please include your email and phone number, as well as your nominee’s email and phone number.

You may visit the MCLA website for more detailed information about the criteria, nomination process, and timeline. For further information and questions, please contact MCLA at director@mainecla.org.

Resources for Celebrating the Week of the Young Child, April 5-11

The Week of the Young Child is almost here! Mark your calendars for April 5-11, 2025.

The Week of the Young Child is a national movement sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), promoting the importance of high-quality early learning. This year, the week takes place from April 5 through the 11. The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Teaching and Learning and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services have teamed up to recognize outstanding early childhood professionals nominated by their peers across the state.

Maine schools can also join the celebration and promote the vital work of early childhood professionals who are working in childcare programs and pre-K-grade 3 elementary classrooms by participating in Week of the Young Child daily themes.

Each day of the week will focus on a theme related to whole child development and playful learning:

Music Monday
Tasty Tuesday
Work Together Wednesday
Artsy Thursday
Family Friday

As Fred Rogers wisely said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But, for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

When focusing on the whole student, ensuring the early childhood years are filled with opportunities for play fosters growth across all domains of development, including creative arts. The Week of the Young Child themes lend themselves well to encouraging playful learning to support all domains of children’s development.

For more information about how to bring the 2025 Week of the Young Child to your early childhood setting, please visit the NAEYC website.

Please be on the lookout for 2025 Outstanding Early Childhood Professional Spotlights the week of April 7 in the Maine DOE Newsroom, in the Maine DOE Update (subscribe here), and on Maine DOE social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn).

For more information, please contact Maine DOE Pre-K Partnership Specialist Michelle Belanger at michelle.belanger@maine.gov.

RSU 11 Celebrates Literacy Innovation at Grades 6-12 Interdisciplinary Showcase

On March 13, there was an unmistakable buzz of energy and pride in RSU 11, as educators gathered for the Grades 6-12 Interdisciplinary Literacy Showcase. The event, held at Gardiner Area High School, marked the culmination of a year-long collaborative effort among middle and high school teachers to explore innovative strategies aimed at increasing student motivation, enhancing content literacy, and improving reading comprehension.

The event began with a warm welcome and an opening message that recognized the dedication and innovative spirit of the staff. Afterwards, attendees participated in a vibrant gallery walk, as dducators shared their team’s journeys at presentation tables. They highlighted creative approaches to building literacy skills in subjects ranging from science and social studies to mathematics, the arts, and beyond. Some teams also discussed topics like student motivation and engagement, question/answer relationships, productive struggle, note-taking strategies, and summarizing complex texts. Each presentation offered valuable insights and practical takeaways, showcasing the collective power of educators working toward a common goal.

Teachers talking to each other standing by a display.

This showcase represented how an initiative first supported by a Maine Department of Education (DOE) Literacy Grant has evolved into a sustainable and impactful movement in RSU 11. Even after that grant funding had ended, educators remained deeply committed to continuing this work. Fueled by a shared belief in its impact, they voluntarily pushed forward, driven by their dedication to improving student learning.

“Our teachers stepped up in incredible ways,” Angela Hardy, RSU 11 Curriculum Coordinator and Literacy Organizer, said. “They worked across disciplines, studied literacy research, tried new approaches in their classrooms, and thoughtfully examined the results. This showcase was about celebrating that commitment and the difference it’s making for our students.”

A staff survey conducted early in the year showed that teachers wanted more opportunities to collaborate, engage in ongoing professional learning, and receive support from colleagues as they strengthened their practice. As a result, RSU 11’s grade 6-12 educators began coming together as interdisciplinary teams to develop skills and strategies for literacy instruction across all content areas. Monthly planning and training sessions took place, allowing educators to work within multidisciplinary groups through Cycles of Action. At times, they collaborated closely with their team; and at other points, they worked independently to test strategies in their classrooms. Each cycle lasted between two and six weeks, encouraged teachers to design a research-based plan, implement it, study the results, and refine their approach or try something new.

For many educators, the initiative has marked a turning point in their professional practice. Shaunessy Laclair, a middle school Social Studies teacher and Literacy Facilitator, worked closely with an interdisciplinary team to explore the connections between productive struggle and a growth mindset. Her team’s work highlighted how literacy strategies can empower students to persevere through challenges and develop resilience as learners.

Laurie Tranten, a seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher and RSU 11 Literacy Facilitator at Gardiner Middle School, called the experience “the greatest initiative that our school has ever taken on.” She added, “It was exciting to see specific content vocabulary being showcased and different literacy strategies used in all content areas. Overall, the school has become more literacy-rich, with students engaging in literacy, based on contextual needs.”

Katy Jones, Librarian and RSU 11 Literacy Facilitator, reflected on how the interdisciplinary nature of the work has deepened collaboration.

“This professional learning experience allowed for different perspectives, increased professional engagement, and strengthened collaboration,” Jones said. “It was a great opportunity to be excited about teaching again—and students were excited about learning.”

Throughout these cycles, teachers used pre-assessments to determine students’ starting points, explored new instructional strategies, implemented changes in their teaching, and reassessed students to measure the impact. The showcase highlighted this important work, with presentations demonstrating the strategies used and the results educators witnessed in student learning.

Kirsten Perry, Secondary Literacy Coach for RSU 11, emphasized the collective effort that made this work so powerful.

“This showcase was an accumulative event that highlighted the power of collective efficacy in action,” Perry said. “The power of educators learning from each other provided one of the most impactful professional learning experiences I have participated in.” The event closed with a sense of celebration and renewed purpose, led by Delvina Miremadi-Baldino, the Executive Director of Maine Youth Thriving. She gave a beautiful closing speech to RSU 11 staff about youth mattering, the role staff plays in that goal, and the intersection of intentional and collaborative work to help students achieve and grow.

RSU 11’s Grades 6-12 Interdisciplinary Literacy Showcase was a testament to the power of teamwork, perseverance, and a shared belief that all students can succeed. RSU 11 remains committed to supporting educators and ensuring that every student has access to high-quality, engaging literacy instruction—no matter the subject area.

Three Maine Educators Honored with Excellence in English Language Arts Awards

The Maine Council for English Language Arts (MCELA) has announced the recipients of its annual educator awards. Melissa Guerrette, a fifth-grade teacher at Oxford Elementary School, has been awarded the seventh annual Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award. Kim Barnes from Caribou Community School and Michele Aronson from Mt. Ararat Middle School have each been awarded the inaugural MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award.

The Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award honors outstanding English language arts and literacy educators who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, contributed to the profession, and shown a deep commitment to their students and community. Educators who are recognized embody the same dedication to student-centered learning and professional leadership as the award’s namesakes, Claudette and John Brassil, who collectively taught for more than 80 years in Maine public schools.

The MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award was established to recognize educators who go above and beyond in fostering a love of literacy, engaging students in meaningful learning, and advancing the profession through leadership and advocacy.

MCELA presented the Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award and the inaugural MCELA Teacher of Excellence Awards at the 2025 MCELA Conference on March 21 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, Maine.

As an award recipient, each awardee will receive complimentary conference registration, a one-year MCELA membership, and formal recognition during the event. They will also each present workshops at the 2025 MCELA conference to share an excellent teaching idea.

Additionally, MCELA will nominate Guerrette for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Teacher of Excellence Award.

For more information about MCELA and its award programs, please visit mainecela.org. Below, you can find more information about this year’s awardees.

Melissa Guerrette
Claudette and John Brassil Distinguished Educator Award
Fifth-Grade Teacher, Oxford Elementary School

Melissa Guerrette is an exemplary educator known for her deep commitment to student engagement, literacy, and community connections. With more than two decades of experience in the classroom, she is a passionate advocate for fostering inquiry-based learning, empowering students to see themselves as readers, writers, and critical thinkers. Guerrette creates a dynamic and welcoming learning environment that nurtures curiosity and supports the unique needs of every student.

Guerrette is a National Board Certified Teacher with a Master of Science in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and French. Guerrette is also a 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year semifinalist, the 2021 Oxford County Teacher of the Year, and the 2025 recipient of the Karen MacDonald Service to Teaching Award. She is on the 2020 Fenway Bowl Honor Roll and was a 2018 Binnie Media Golden Apple Award winner.

“Melissa works tirelessly on her craft, is committed to growing personally and professionally, and lifts those around her to achieve their best. She is THAT teacher – the one who is remembered lovingly for generations and the one you hope any child in your family is lucky enough to call theirs,” Oxford Elementary School sixth-grade teacher Sara Lavertu wrote in her letter of recommendation for Guerrette to win this award.

Kim Barnes
MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award
Eighth-Grade English Language Arts Teacher, Caribou Community School

Kim Barnes is known for her ability to cultivate reading and writing engagement among her students. She is recognized for her thoughtful curriculum, which encourages critical thinking, creativity, and authentic learning experiences. Barnes has been recognized for her teaching excellence in the past: 1998 Distinguished Educator Award for Discipline, 2003 master’s degree in Educational Leadership, 2009 Plugged-In to Reading Teacher of the Month, 2017 Aroostook Right to Read Literacy Award Recipient, 2019 Aroostook County Teacher of the Year.

“Watching Kim in action, whether with students or colleagues, is inspiring to behold,” Heather Anderson, Barnes’ teaching colleague at Caribou Community School, wrote in her letter of recommendation for this award. “It often begins with a text to our eighth grade team of ‘I have an idea!’ These texts spark projects that transform our students and our school. Kim’s mind is like a fireball of innovation. She consistently sets goals and sees them through with her determination and focus.”

Barnes’ ideas spread beyond her classroom to the whole school and throughout the community and county. They often involve creating meaningful learning experiences for her students, which is key to the celebration of her as an MCELA Teacher of Excellence for 2025.

Michele Aronson
MCELA Teacher of Excellence Award
Seventh-Grade English Language Arts and Response to Intervention Literacy Teacher, Mt. Ararat Middle School

In addition to her role as a seventh-grade English Language Arts and Response to Intervention Literacy Teacher at Mt. Ararat Middle School, Michele Aronson is also a Critical Reading and Writing Instructor at Merrymeeting Adult Education. She is recognized for her commitment to fostering student voice, promoting inquiry-based learning, and mentoring fellow educators in best literacy practices.

“On a daily basis, Michele delights in the quirky mirth that only a group of adolescents can create,” Jonathan Beede, a social studies teacher at Mt. Ararat, described. “Whether Michele is leading an outdoor adventure to share her love of nature and physical activity; marshaling the sales team at our annual cookie bake-off; playing pied-piper through our community on walking-writing marathon field trips; rallying kids for fitness challenges during indoor motor breaks; inviting her grandson, Wyatt, to be a guest reader to her ELA classes; filling the hall with her cacophonous laugh; or anything else she can jump into to enliven her beloved Team Androscoggin—Ms. Aronson makes the experience of everyone lucky enough to be near her, bigger, brighter, and better.”

Aronson also fosters a love of learning in her students, which is key to the celebration of her as an MCELA Teacher of Excellence for 2025.

Maine DOE Update – March 21, 2025

From the Maine Department of Education

Reporting Items

Reports Opening April 1: Enrollment and Quarter 3 Attendance, Truancy, Bullying, and Behavior

April 1 enrollment reporting will become available on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The due date for certifying this report will be Tuesday, April 15, 2025. A comparison of April enrollments to October enrollments is used for policy and decision-making. | More

News & Updates

Maine DOE Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Amendment to ESSA State Plan to Clarify Entrance and Exit Procedures for Multilingual Students

Public Comment Sought on Maine’s IDEA Part B Application

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is seeking comments from the public on its annual application for federal funds under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services to children aged 3-22 with disabilities. | More

Pine Tree Programming Empowers Maine Schools with Fun and Engaging Computer Science Education

Pine Tree Programming, a new initiative from the Maine Department of Education’s Office of Teaching and Learning, is expanding access to computer science education across the state. In just six weeks, this dynamic program has introduced more than 500 students—many from schools with limited or no prior computer science opportunities—to the world of coding. | More

Maine Schools Sharing Success Stories

‘Learning from Maine’ Video Series Seeking Story Ideas from Maine Schools

The Maine Loves Public Schools campaign, a collaborative effort by the Maine Education Leaders Professional Learning Collaborative (MELPLC), has launched a new public education video storytelling series. Organizers are currently seeking story ideas from Maine schools. | More

Athens Community School Dives into Computer Science Through Hands-on Learning

Thanks to the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) “Teach with Tech” grant, junior high students at Athens Community School are diving into computer science with hands-on lessons that incorporate Sphero BOLT robots. | More

Submit good news to the Maine Department of Education here.

Professional Learning/Training Opportunities

Registration Open for McKinney-Vento Spring 2025 Regional Meetings

In April, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) is hosting McKinney-Vento Spring 2025 Regional Meetings to provide updates on federal, state, and local policies and discuss resources available to students and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability.. | More

Webinar: Bringing Music into Your Classroom (No Musical Training Required!)

Are you looking to incorporate music into your teaching but don’t have a musical background? This engaging webinar is designed for educators of all subjects who want to harness the power of music to enhance student engagement, creativity, and learning. | More

REMINDER: Applications Open for Math4ME Project

Math4ME is a free, three-year, whole-school project, designed to support all educators (i.e., classroom teachers, special educators, ed techs, and interventionists) to strengthen math proficiency for all learners with a specific focus on increased math proficiency for students with math individualized education plan (IEP) goals. | More

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Maine DOE Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Amendment to ESSA State Plan to Clarify Entrance and Exit Procedures for Multilingual Students

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is requesting approval from the U.S. Department of Education to update its approved consolidated Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Maine is submitting an amendment to clarify and provide consistency regarding the entrance and exit procedures for multilingual (ML)/English language learner (ELL) students. (Please note that the Maine DOE utilizes the term “multilingual” learner whenever possible; however, federal language utilizes the term “English language” learner).

Public comment will be open beginning Monday, March 24, 2025 through Monday, April 7, 2025.

The clarifications within the amendment to entrance and exit procedures for ML students include:

If a primary/home language other than English is indicated on the Language Use Survey, the student will be administered an English language proficiency screener.
Maine will continue to use a composite score of 4.5 on the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment as the only mechanism through which a student may exit from MLL (ELL) status.
Maine’s policies and procedures to identify and exit MLs continue to be disseminated annually to school administrative units (SAUs); are posted to the Maine DOE webpage; and are provided in a Maine DOE policy through Administrative Letter #27: Legal Requirements to Provide English Language Acquisition Services to Students who are Multilingual Learners
Resources including Maine’s Identification and Placement Guidance are located on the WIDA state page and the Maine DOE’s ML Identification webpage. This document includes information pertaining to:
- Required screeners.
- Standardized entrance and exit procedures.
- Assessment administrator qualifications.
- Training requirements.

Comments regarding the proposed amendment, as well as additional questions, may be sent to Daniel Weeks, Maine DOE Title III Coordinator, at daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov. All comments must be received by 4 p.m. on Monday, April 7, 2025.

Public Comment Sought on Maine’s IDEA Part B Application

The application, which covers Maine fiscal year 2026 (starting July 1, 2025), is posted on the Maine DOE’s website. Pending the State’s receipt of the finalized federal award for the coming year, the Part B budget is estimated on the basis of Maine’s current award. The documents associated with the application will be posted from March 20, 2025, through May 16, 2025.

Written comments will be accepted from Monday, April 1, 2025, until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2025. Please send comments to Erin Frazier, Maine DOE Director of Special Services Birth to 22, at erin.frazier@maine.gov or 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.